The best modern museums are places of joy and wonder – portals to the past that make the experiences of our ancestors feel as vivid and urgent as the world in which we live today. That is especially true of the five institutions shortlisted for the prestigious Museum of the Year prize, awarded by Art Fund, the charity that “raises money to help the UK’s museums buy and share exciting works of art”.
These truly are museums of all seasons. Those in the running for the accolade – and the £120,000 prize – range from the 19th-century Fitzwilliam Museum in the ancient heart of Cambridge to young upstart The Box in Plymouth, which opened its doors in 2020 and which tells the history of the coastal town, and London’s spanking new V&A East Storehouse, which welcomed its first visitors last year.
Here, prominent figures from the arts, history and sport advocate for their favourite museum ahead of the prize-giving ceremony on 25 June. Of course, regardless of the outcome, the real winners are the general public, who, time allowing, should tick all five off their bucket list.
Mary Beard, historian and broadcaster
The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
